Leaderboards

Welcome to the leaderboards, which track the Top XBLIGs I’ve played & reviewed, and includes the Developer’s studio, the genre the game belongs to, and current price. The list may change from month to month, or it may not at all. Of course, this is only a guide, not a be-all end-all, so while the occupants are numbered according to my personal preference, you really can’t do wrong by owning any of these titles, in any order you choose.

Below the official site list, you will find a ‘Readers’ Top Ten’ section, with longtime readers of the site giving you their all-time favorite XBLIGs. Oh, and they’ve always been critical of my choices, so if you see something you don’t like, or feel a game should be ranked higher / lower, be sure to let them know! 😛

As always, click on each game’s title to be taken to the Xbox marketplace, or the review (if applicable).

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theXBLIG’s Leaderboard

To say that Bleed (REVIEW) raises the bar for XBLIG is an understatement. A bullet hell platformer with an emphasis on acrobatic feats of daring and peerless style, Bleed takes the simple fun and joy in playing a videogame, and extends that indefinitely. Even when you suffer a temporary setback, you’re smiling. Flawless stage layouts and multiple boss fights, each one memorable. In my mind it’s the best XBLIG available, but it’s also one of the best games you’ll likely play in your life.

Number two with a pixel bullet, Dead Pixels is really the only zombie game you’ll ever need. Combining RPG and outright-action elements flawlessly, it is a more complete, more polished game, than what you’re accustomed to with indies. As if you needed more incentive, the developer also updated the game with significant DLC, essentially making it two games in one. I hate to used a tired expression, but you do get a lot of bang for your buck. While it’s no longer an XBLIG exclusive (PC players can now enjoy it as well) you can look forward to a sequel at some point.

An instant arcade classic that will have you doing your best Bruce Lee / Jet Li / Jackie Chan / Keanu Reeves impression in over 250 stages of stickmen ninjas. One Finger Death Punch (REVIEW) offers unrivaled cinematic action, with simple controls (X and B buttons only) but a challenging mindset (easy to learn, hard to master) that will take pleasure in kicking your ass over and over repeatedly, with you gladly coming back for more.

One of the best games on the indie service, period, We Are Cubes takes the simple idea of shooting cubes (natch) inside of a narrow corridor (think Death Star trench run), and adds strategy, bullet-management, and essential power-ups. There’s also an equally-fun local co-op / competitive mode and worthwhile unlockables, all to the tune of an awesome soundtrack. Leaderboards you’ll actually want to climb. It’s a thinking man’s shooter that’s unbelievably addictive.

Metroidvania types are nothing new on console and PC. One could even say they’re coming back into vogue (not that they really ever left). On XBLIG, though, they’re far rarer. Especially one as polished and confident as Magicians & Looters (REVIEW). Never has an adventure / RPG hybrid hit the mark as consistently as this game, with a top-notch (only semi-serious) story, and nearly-flawless design and controls. If you buy just one Metroidvania game on XBLIG, make it this one.

While almost no one is excited by the term ‘wave-based arena shooter’ these days (most of all me), Blood & Bacon (REVIEW) manages not only to inject some freshness into that tired genre, but blow the doors off what you think an indie FPS can do. Fine-tuned combat and online co-op go along with excellent mechanics and presentation, with enough care and little details to put a smile on your twisted, cow-shooting face. Enjoy.

You already know the names involved here (Penny Arcade, Zeboyd Games), just as you already know Gabe’s going to punch something (probably several things, repeatedly), and Tycho will have to explain the plot to Gabe, also obsess over the tiniest detail. What you didn’t know was that On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness’ (REVIEW) nostalgic de-make is every bit as full-featured and fun as its previous outings. Winning dialogue. Hats off to Zeboyd and co. on this one, for its terrific design and battle system.

Released in late 2010, Inferno is another twin-stick shooter with deceptive depth that I went without playing until recently, strictly because of its once seemingly-exorbitant cost of 400 MSP. Having played it now, and thoroughly enjoyed the hell out of it in that time, I’d have to agree it was priced perfectly before. radiangames’ titles have always looked good, so it’s nice to find they play just as well. Lucky for me, and you, it’s been lowered to a dollar, and is an absolute steal.

It could be categorized as a 2D Portal, though with a much bigger selection of tricks and a time-bending, gravity-defying arsenal to draw upon. The pinnacle of intelligent and elegant puzzle design. You run the very real risk of destroying your brain and its ability to function in trying to solve some of Gateways’ (REVIEW) more fanciful rooms, but don’t let that deter you or your feeble mind. It’s not to be missed.

It’s not every day you see a game with as much ambition, with as much sheer content, as something like Survivalist (REVIEW). You can spend hours just navigating the open-world wasteland. Sure, it’s just zombies, but like The Walking Dead has shown us, people are the real threat in an apocalypse. Form a community, forage for supplies and weapons, build a base, choose to be an angel or a dick to the survivors you come across; it’s all available here in a highly-recommended package.

An imprisoned purple goat and a magical hat-wearing mouse team up to escape some deviously-designed puzzle chambers in MagicalTimeBean’s throwback to 8-bit era puzzle / platformers. With plenty of levels, an editor, and an excellent music selection, you may not want to escape after all. The recent PC version contains all of the above, plus extra levels and the option to share created masterpieces. I’ll say it once again— a purple goat, and a magical hat-wearing mouse… Need I sell this further?

To some, having your game’s look and style compared to a N64-era action / adventure could be construed as mean, or a slap in the face. I assure you, it is meant entirely as a compliment. Astralis (REVIEW) and its fog-shrouded environs may remind you of the early 3D shooters of yesteryear, but it’s one of the best you’ll find on XBLIG. Aliens with tricky AI, a vast open world to explore, and exquisite controls / camerawork are the highlights of this must-play.

There’s plenty of imitators out there that want to be The Legend of Zelda. They have the style, they have the sword, the heart meter, and up to two items equipped at a time, but very few feel like The Legend of Zelda once you start playing. Shipwreck (REVIEW) not only succeeds at that, but features some very well-designed dungeons. So good are they at mimicking the real deal, in fact, that you might confuse them for the work of Nintendo itself. That’s a bold claim, maybe, but it’s also the truth.

A quirky vertical shooter (talking farm animals have invaded the moon?) that marches to the beat of its own drum, the game offers multiple character classes, each boasting expansive, upgradable loadouts and skill sets that put most RPGs to shame. Ignore the primitive visuals and get lost in the customizable wonder that is March to the Moon (REVIEW).

All the Bad Parts is still the best story-centric game for XBLIG I’ve played, featuring a man reliving various pivotal points in his life while battling bug-headed antagonists, with multiple paths / endings to the game. Haunting and thought-provoking, but not without some humor. Though it’s a bug-head-brawler at heart, I’ve called it a cross between Paper Mario and Silent Hill; a hell of a comparison to live up to, but it does so easily and forges its own identity.

There’s been plenty of Castlevanias and Metroidvanias, but few have thought to re-invent the overworld battles and auto-pilot gameplay between boss fights. Until now. Amazing Princess Sarah (REVIEW) offers a stiff challenge, forcing you to fight for every inch of ground. It also uses its defeated enemies in a unique way; as fodder you to throw at other enemies. Clever and tough, and one of the better ideas to come around.

The dust had barely settled on Compromised, and it had already taken a high spot on my personal leaderboard, a testament to developer Super Soul Studio’s talent and patience in crafting a twin-stick shooter with substantial working parts and a good amount of variety. Epic bosses! The resemblance to Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is there, but Compromised is more than competent to stand as its own game. Oh, and look forward to free DLC at some point.

The most visually impressive vertical shooter on the marketplace, Snops Attack! (REVIEW) handles expertly and plays brilliantly. It’s beautifully-ordered chaos, as much as a dog flying a jet going up against zombified cats can be, all done in a distinctly-Japanese style. CAVE would be jealous.

Remember the first time you played Tetris? That easy concept, making the pieces fit, left open to chance, yes, but indisputably fun and habit-forming? While not Tetris per se, Pixel Blocked! fills those shoes admirably, tasking you to fill in or replace the pieces of increasingly-larger puzzle images. Naturally a fair amount of challenge is involved. You’ll have to think fast and place blocks in careful order, while enjoying the charming pixel backgrounds and music.

EvilQuest is a very literal interpretation of the game’s premise. Flipping the script and taking on the role of Evil Overlord in Galvis, you’ll hack & slash across the land, fighting monsters, murdering innocents, and generally being an asshole, in a quest heavily-influenced by the classic 8 & 16-bit Zelda games. Action / RPGs are sometimes a tough nut to crack. Kudos to Chaosoft Games for trying something different and pulling it off so splendidly. Also, EvilQuest 2 hitting sometime in 2013(!).

Tribute Games’ homage to the BB genre is anything but a stale reproduction with lovely visuals. It blends brick breaking (say that three times fast) with magic casting and some light adventure elements into an intriguing amalgamation. There’s several themed worlds and boss battles, and a sumptuous dose of nostalgia in the Zelda-tinged levels and art. If you like brick breakers but not their sometimes bare-bones offerings, Wizorb brings much-needed girth.

Like Super Amazing Wagon Adventure did so well and so frantically before it, Shutshimi (REVIEW) takes quickened bits of odd gameplay (each level and interim lasts exactly ten seconds) and throws it in a blender. The result is an addictive shooter— starring a fish on steroids— that plays differently every time you press start.

Remember the 80s, when the only thing in 3D was life, spending hours in the local arcade trying to beat someone’s high score? No, you don’t. You’re probably years younger than me. But why just play retro games when you effectively relive gaming’s past and manage your own authentic arcade? With dozens of cabinets in every genre, loads of tokens to be collected, plenty of little petulant bastards to be tossed out for causing trouble, and future content updates to keep things fresh, Arcadecraft (REVIEW) is a winner.

Murder Miners (REVIEW) combines a multiplayer FPS with Minecraft’s world-building. If that’s not enough to sway your money to leave your wallet, the developer continues to support the game with constant post-release patches and new content. The closest you’ll likely ever get to Halo on the XBLIG channel.

If you were to take Minecraft‘s blocks and crafting style, and apply it to Shadow of the Colossus, you’d get Giant Hunter (REVIEW). Not entirely an original idea, sure, but a damn fun one that impressively recreates the feeling of taking down a giant.

Currently the closest thing to DayZ on XBLIG (and possibly, Xbox 360), ApocZ (REVIEW) offers a lot of what its inspiration does; an open world full of zombies, survival, …. and shooting strangers in the back in order to loot their corpses. The game loses some points for being derivative, but there’s still an incredibly fun time to be had with friends. Get out there and murder someone!

The time-honored tradition of needlessly killing very cute things is completely acceptable in Cute Things Dying Violently. In fact, it’s encouraged, as you’ll need to fling (and therefore sacrifice) plenty of little ones in the process of saving them from sawblades and other such messy ends. Hey, if you want to make an omelet, you’re going to have to break / burn / explode some blue M&Ms.

You probably don’t ever want to run a Call Center, but Smooth Operators (REVIEW) hands off all of the responsibility, micro-management, and… strange fun?… of doing so with none of the regrettable life decisions that will turn you into the black sheep of your family, conveniently ignored at every Thanksgiving dinner thereafter.

A party game that’s all about deception and mistaken identities, Hidden in Plain Sight is quite simply the most pick-up-and-play fun you can have with murder without being arrested. Sadly, you will need a group of four people gathered around the console to properly play and enjoy what HIPS has to offer, but it’s worth the effort and extra controllers.

A roguelike hack & slash in the vein of The Binding of Issac and The Legend on Zelda (original). Not content to just be random crawling and looting, Diehard Dungeon (REVIEW) keeps things fresh with multiple routes and minigames. Oh, and it also has a nifty twin-stick shooter game as a side mode. All for a buck.

Take Arms is a 2D, class-based shooter with multi-tiered arenas that’s playable offline with bots, but really hits its stride once you’re online and up against actual human competition. One of the highlights of the 2011 Indie Uprising, it’s still as fun today as it was then.

A Japanese import that is equal parts Killer 7, Parasite Eve, and Deadly Premonition, The Undead Syndrome (REVIEW) could have been ripped straight from Suda51’s cutting room floor. The game is far from perfect, though it has some considerable depth underneath the rough exterior. If nothing else, it can’t be rivaled in terms of absolute weirdness.

If ever there were spokesmen (er… in video game form) for our current time, DLC Quest and its sequel DLC Quest: Live Freemium or Die (REVIEW) from Going Loud Studios are it. With absolutely spot-on humor that parodies this generation’s nickel-and-diming practice of DLC, post-DLC, launch day DLC, preorder bonuses, retailer-specific preorder bonuses, timed exclusivity, content exclusivity, season passes, and free-to-play models, these two games have it all. Comedic Gold.

A more frenzied Geometry Wars, with huge bosses, varied enemies and powerups, and a handful of different ships that each have individual attacks and strengths. Grid Space Shooter (REVIEW) recalls radiangames’ Inferno for the sheer amount of fun and strategy blended so exquisitely together.

Pairing a twin-stick shooter with Tower Defense, NVO Games’ STRACO series (REVIEW) is the truest encapsulation of indie development; a competent and confident effort that takes an existing idea and makes it its own— albeit on a smaller scale. Full of humorous writing and featuring an in-depth upgrade system, the games should have a place in any strategy-lovers collection.

With an adorable cast consisting of evil, vice, and pestilence (not a phrase you’re used to reading, no doubt), a suitably epic soundtrack, and plenty of impressive arenas to fight in, JamSouls! (REVIEW) has the best of both worlds, in terms of brawlers; an immediately accessible, easy to follow fight system (just bop ’em and go), and powerups that dynamically change the flow of a fight. Battles are quick and unpredictable, and, with up to three friends (or AI), incredibly fun.

With an emphasis on skeletons, witchcraft, and the color green (in some shade or another), Demon House (REVIEW) is Steampunk-Everything to its core— environment, weapons, enemies. Features an impressive co-op wave shooter secondary mode that’s good enough to stand on its own, and it currently offers the best single-player campaign of any XBLIG FPS.

Games that proclaim to be a form of ‘art’ usually end up lacking in some key category, the price to be paid for trying to say or do ‘something different’. qrth-phyl (REVIEW) is the latest in developer hermitgames’s interesting oeuvre, taking the well-done concept of a ’snake’ game and putting a slick coat of modern technology and ideas over it. As an arcade game, it’s nearly perfect fun. As art, it’s a beautiful piece worthy of admiration.

The Sharer

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88 thoughts on “Leaderboards”

As a heads-up: Escape Goat and Gateways are both in a GOG bundle this weekend for a near-XBLIG price, and the bundle also includes Blocks That Matter (another XBLIG puzzler). It’s good to see some of the outstanding games that the XBLIG marketplace featured will live on after Microsoft finally shuts it down. There is a warm place in my heart for all these old (and new!) XBOX indies, and it is stirred when I see them elsewhere. {The GOG releases include the soundtracks and wallpapers, which are really pleasant surprises to hear & see outside of the game; I wish more game developers/publishers would do that!}

That is (well, was, since the weekend is over and I am late to this comment) awesome to see, though, and you are exactly right; regardless of what MS does to ‘immortalize’ XBLIG, at least some of the more well-received games will have a proper afterlife on PC and / or console. Hopefully some more gamer types picked up that bundle while it was up; they’d be doing themselves a big favor.

I’m missing my Tim fix and my buddies on here chatting all things that are not important in life but mainly Indie games. Indie games still exist and are flooding the marketplace on the Xbox One.

Tim, do I need to start my own thing reviewing them?

I’m starting to stream on Twitch so that would go hand in hand however I was thinking maybe we could team up since you have a lot of review experience. C’mon buddy. Lets conquer the world one Indie game at a time.

I know, I know, I’ve been slacking again. I started a game, got most of the way through it, and then it just sat. Shame, because it’s a really good game too. I’ve got to set aside the time to finish it and write up a review…. XBLIG has been slow, but there’s still that slow trickle of new releases.

Honestly, I don’t see myself ever getting into reviewing the larger indie games on Xbox One or PS4. For one, there’s plenty of other sites (big and small) to handle them, and two, it never took off when I started doing that for Indiepitome. It’s more time-consuming than XBLIG, for sure, and definitely more expensive. That was a soul crusher, doing the extra work and not seeing anything from it.

That said, you may be more successful at it than I ever was. I thought about getting into streaming too, but even that’s a massive undertaking when you think about it, engaging the audience while simultaneously playing through a game and not looking like a total noob / idiot while doing so. Then you’ve got the other half uploading videos daily to YouTube, constantly generating content. It’s a tough group to break into, and I don’t know if I personally have the desire or ability to pull it off. Things may change down the road, but as it is, I’m sitting on the fence watching.

Don’t let that negativity stop you though. Life’s too short to say ‘what if?’ at the end of it. You’ve got one viewer in me. 😀

Perhaps a game night of something akin to Block King 2 is required to re-charge all of our batteries? Dunno how to stream that, though. We are getting spoiled with all the newer consoles providing streaming automatically.

It is tough work to crack into live-streaming. I’ve friends who tried it with Wii U content – a dedicated fanbase if ever there was one! – and it was, in the end, rather a failure. The only way to be successful at it is to do your own thing and not care if anyone watches or not. And that kinda defeats the whole purpose of it.

I am as sorry to see the XBLIG titles trickle to an irregular drip as I am to contemplate gaming without Tim’s good quips, zingers, and good-natured humor to enjoy. Hopefully his non-blog : ) will live on in some form for us after XBLIG dies. {Although we all know he will turn it into a Destiny compendium of some sort}

@andregurov: Hey, I’m always down for a ‘game night’; you guys set the date, and I’m there. I think I can pry myself away from Destiny for a few hours. I mean, I think. We’ll see. 😉 Actually, if I were to start streaming, it probably would be something Destiny-related. Stick with what I know, eh? Too bad there’s dozens and dozens (and a hundred more) of far more established and more personable folks out there doing that already. That, and I don’t quite have the desire and drive they do to put videos up / out on a regular basis. That’s a tough job. Very hard crowd to break into and maintain, and gather a following. Then put up with the fatigue / demand that stuff entails. Lot of respect for what those guys do.

Metal’s on his way, though. He’s got his love of indies, and he’s partnered with The Hidden Levels for his streams, which is good on him.

According to the schedule, looks like he’s got Mondays (Metal Mondays! 🙂 ) and a slot on Saturday. I’d say best of luck (and I will anyway), but I think he’s got this. He’s a natural, from what I’ve watched.

You are very kind Tim to give your endorsement here. I’m mainly on The Hidden Levels as you mentioned I do a stream on Mondays at 12pm EST called Metal Mondays and on Saturday nights at 10pm EST called Late Night Streams with Metal.

I’ll make sure to check the stream out. Well… probably not live due to time zone differences, but I’ll catch the replays. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s happening in the indie scene on XBOne, since I don’t have one (yet).

@ImTheMetalLord: No problem whatsoever! You guys supported what I did here from the start, so that’s the very least I can do to help you along. Good luck on the stream today! Like Edgar Alan, I won’t be able to watch live (damn job, getting in the way), but I should be able to tune in for Saturday’s stream.

@Edgar Alan: You need to get yourself an XBone! That thing’s turning into an indie paradise these days (the PS4 as well). The system’s always getting cheaper too, so you’ll be able to buy in soon enough. Not that you should abandon the 360 and XBLIG altogether, but you get the idea. 🙂

Playing Pixel Piracy today actually and not sure yet for Saturday. Check out my debut in the archives of Rebel Galaxy a great new indie title. Made by the 2 guys that joined up to create an indie label from Diablo and Torchlight.

Ha, the good news is… it IS on the leaderboard. Well… it WILL be. I’m slacking on my adds; in fact, there’s three or four I need to add. Unfortunately, this weekend through the next, I’m house / dog-sitting, so I won’t have the means to update / review anything (and my phone is not an ideal substitute). At least XBLIG is slow again, so I’m not missing out on anything. But, no worries, I will update the list once I’m back home.

Sooooooooo here’s a story that is a true story and I’m gonna share it with you here and you’ll find out why soon enough. My PC I had connected to a 19″ ASUS monitor that is now my backup monitor and it’s the bomb. Weighs like a bomb as well but I can rely on it being there for me. It has two inputs a VGA and DVI input and I’ve got me an HDMI to DVI cable that works both ways. I’ve used it both ways. But I’m getting off subject here. With my 19″ monitor I would sit close to it and play some PC games all the time.

Fast forward to about 1 1/2 years ago I bought an off brand 32″ 1080p TV/Monitor with 3 HDMI inputs. Thought it was a great set up since I didn’t have to sit right on top of the monitor to see and my new living agrangements allowed for me to have a set up with more comfortable seating further away from the monitor/TV. PC, Work PC and Xbox 360 all connected nicely and I was able to use the digital TV turner to watch TV as well.. PERFECT right? Not quite. Ever since I had this set up I was no longer able to play games off my PC due to lag no matter what video settings I used even the lowest available ones. So I gave up on my PC games It worked perfect to watch videos from the PC even in full screen and even stream videos from my cable app. Worked perfect for everything else accept this one strange thing it did when I went from my work PC to any other input and back all my windows would be moved and scrunched up in the top left corner. But gave that no mind.

Well, as you know, that 32″ TV/Monitor went out recently and I went back to using old reliable. Been using it for about a month now and am not happy at all. I have to sit in a char close to the monitor for work (whether I am using a 19″ or 32″ monitor which is nice for work because of the amount of windows I have to open and they are not stacked, but hey I’m getting off subject again.)

And again as you know I recently got me a new “NAME” brand 32″ (Sharp BTW) 1080p TV/Monitor with only 2 HDMI’s (using an HDMI switcher now that automatically switches and is very nice) so got it all hooked up and everything is running great. Don’t have the issue with the work PC scrunching up the windows in the top right and everything is looking so much better. So I decided to try my PC games. And they are working. Need to get a video card so they work great for the more demanding ones but I went into all my games and put the video settings to 1080 and it’s awesome.

So here is my point. One of those games I had bought back then was Dead Pixel. Hadn’t really played it much since I didn’t have a controller for my PC (I do now with a converter for a 360 controller) and there I was looking at things and I found this name I recognized in some sort of survival mode. Tim Hurley. I did not now you were some sort of video game star already. Freaking awesome man. Said XXX Mode staring Tim Hurley and Nate someone or other.

Hope you enjoyed the short tale. I should have blogged this but hey it’s all about you my man. 😀

Haha, thanks man. Great story, indeed. I was empathizing with your monitor troubles (I had kept my first monitor for years, too, and it was a 17 – 19″ as well), and glad to hear that’s all been sorted out now. Even better to hear that Dead Pixels is still getting the love it does (and rightfully deserves). It’s another one of those games that’s just straight-up FUN every time you play it. I would honestly update my own aging PC setup just for when Dead PIxels II sees release. Eh, I should update my setup anyway. It’s screwed me over too many times already.

I owe a huge debt to the Dev, Mr. John Conner. Back when Nate and I were writing for Gear-Fish (how I got my start with covering XBLIG), John had done a 24-hour gaming session for charity, and one of the ‘perks’ for donating was the chance to star in a new DLC mode for Dead Pixels. Needless to say, both Nate and myself snatched that up quick, seeing as how we loved the game. I’m proud to be a very small part of it. I always say that it’s something I can check off my bucket list (being a part of a videogame), and I mean it. XBLIG and the XBLIG community have been nothing but awesome. 😀

Nonsense, good sir! I like seeing the different lists. Interests vary greatly from one player to the next. Take all the time you like, and send it via the ‘contact’ page once you’ve settled on a list. 🙂

Man do you have to scroll down a long way to add a new comment. I had to scroll down so far I forgot what I was going to say. Oh well this will have to suffice. <=== I hope I'm using that word correctly. 😛

No problem! It’s good to see alternative opinions, and like you said, gives people some other games to test out, games they might not have heard of in any other situation. I think it’s safe to say that today… we’re ALL winners. (thumbs up)

Murder Miners? 24th place? Seriously
Maybe when it was released it sucked, but you should give it a second try you know, the game had 15 updates and added weapons, vehicles, more and more maps … And of course all free!

That’s the one game on the leaderboard that I always catch some flak about placement. 🙂 I’ve played a few of the updates, but I think I put it there because of the original review, when the ‘zombies’ portion was under-cooked and dull, and multiplayer hadn’t really taken off. If I were ever to reorganize the leaderboard, I’d rank it higher. It’s a fantastic game (arguably the best multiplayer shooter on the service), and a great value with the amount of updates it’s had. Still wouldn’t make the Top Ten, though. 😀

Now heres a good question or if you wanna make a new thread Tim. What was the 1st xbl indie game you bought on the service. Mine was A Fading Melody in August 2009 still a couple control issues aside its a great game.

Man, good question. A Fading Melody was probably in the first ten XBLIGs I bought. I liked that game too, though I never finished it. My first was actually I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1N IT!!!, and for the longest of times, that was the only indie game I had. It wasn’t until 2011, when my buddy convinced me to join up with him and others to start a review site, that I really got into XBLIGs. I was even reluctant to review them at first, as I knew of their reputation. Funny how things happen.

I had to look mine up: it was I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1N IT!!! Next up was Gateways!. Which I never came close to finishing. Third, you ask? The Xmas Chainsaw Massacre. Man that game was freakin’ tough, and delightfully demented.

Wow nice to see B&B made #6. Thx to all the Blood & Bacon players for the support. I still love the game and the fact that I’m part the bloodiest, offensive, most disgusting game on this list makes me “damn proud of it too a-holes.” Whoops sorry the farmer is never far from the real me it seems. But thx again.

You’re welcome! It’s an awesome game that really shows what indies are all about. Hearing about the low sales just goes to show the kind of reach (or lack thereof) that XBLIG has. Could be that people just aren’t aware of the excellent games on the service, or perhaps it’s developed enough of a reputation that people are scared off by the very mention of it. A shame either way.

Tell you what, just for you, I’ll post a ‘Reader’s Top Ten’ List below the last game here ❗ 😀

If you or anyone else reading this would like to submit their top ten XBLIGs, I’ll run ’em. Send your list via the contact page. Two conditions, though: Text-only, and I’ll add links to the Microsoft game pages (or reviews I’ve done here, if applicable), and second condition, I reserve the right to cancel out / edit / otherwise remove the lists. Just because I like to have the option. 🙂

Actually looking forward to those lists, guys! Should have done this earlier, I guess. 😀 Curious to see what you guys rank as the No. 1 XBLIG, and any games on your list that didn’t make the cut on mine.

@NVO Games: And you’ll probably be first in that featured section for quite a while, unless we get another good game soon. 🙂

I guess everyone who wants to put together a Top Ten list can do so, but I’ll have to see how exactly I’m going to do this. My current idea is just to add it onto the existing leaderboard, at the end, with a paragraph up top saying that ‘Reader Top Ten’ lists are to follow below the site’s official leaderboard. Might be a tad confusing, but then it gives everyone a chance to have their say in what XBLIGs should belong in people’s library. If anyone has a suggestion to do it another way, I’m all ears! 🙂

@Soosh: Yep, deadline passed. You missed out!

I’m kidding. Nope, no deadline. ‘Dream Poet’ sent me his, but you’re free to take all the time you want. It’s a serious business, picking one’s favorites. Lot of potential heartbreak. You don’t want to leave out the girl you like, or she’ll give you attitude the next time you talk to her. 🙂

Oh, Shutshimi on 22. But it’s weird that every game on here has gone off the main page. And I really don’t wanna start this “Yeah, but where is (insert title here)?” because it’s your list, so you decide in what positions those games end up (if they make it at all), but, ehm… yeah, where is Cursed Loot? (sorry, couldn’t resist) 😛

Cursed Loot would be on there, as well as many others, but I didn’t officially ‘review’ it. All the titles listed here are ones that have been, either here or at Gear-Fish, when I was writing there. Kind of an ‘unwritten rule’-type deal, I guess you could say. Never intend to leave anybody’s favorites out. 🙂

That said, the leaderboard IS due for a reshuffling, if I ever get around to it. And yeah, no new XBLIGs as of this posting, so it looks like I’m on a drought-induced hiatus for a few days. Vacation, man! Woo! 😎

No worries, I was just kinda mocking all those comments you normally see on these lists. And yeah, things are slow at the moment. Have you ever thought of doing short Retro Reviews for games you haven’t reviewed yet, or is it not worth the effort?

‘Retro Reviews’ are an idea that’s been passed around and mulled over. Almost started doing it, too, until I realized two things: 1) Most older XBLIGs that are any good have already been covered elsewhere, and 2) From a work standpoint, it doesn’t really make sense for me to devote a block of time to two or three year old games that most people aren’t searching for anymore. There’s a set that will appreciate the look at past games they may have missed, of course, but I’ve always stayed current with my reviews, just starting in where XBLIG left off, and that’s kinda how I want to keep it.

It would help to have that option with the current drought, though. Good thing I planned for that eventuality with ‘Indiepitome’, so I can work on indie games released on other consoles / handhelds. 🙂

Nice, real nice boyo… I remember the 1st time I came here, I was lost, did not know how to spend those 80 Microsoft points and then the light came. Is good to see how much the leaderboard have grown. I personally think Survivalist should be higher, it can pass as a AAA XBLA game if you improve the graphics a bit (more varied) and add voice acting. Heck, even as it is now can pass as a lost PSX One gem, made by a company of 200 hundred ppl and one intern. What really impress me if how the character keep with their lives doing their things. dont know if you have played GTA V, every time you change a character make you believe that the char was doing something, but in reality is just a random generated event. if you restart the game and change character it can be doing something completely different at the other site of the map, but the way you change them is very realistic and make you feel like they were doing something, being a sandbox is ok that way, but that is false advertising, lad. But Survivalist, no, they actually do their things, you can see them pass you, is truly amazing what this one man army did (Bob), Is actually one of my favorite 360 games overall (I got a isometric RPG fetish, so you know)… I think the 360 is my favorite console of all time, and the indie community was a big push to make it there. Most of these gems are also on PC but without the 360… those games never will have seen the light of day.

Very true. I might have missed out on indie games entirely if it wasn’t for joining a reviews site and getting nudged in that direction by a buddy of mine. That’s why I’m happy to share the better games with anyone that comes looking for them. Making changes to this leaderboard is a pain (which is why I don’t update the positions of the games much), but trust me, Survivalist getting #10 is a pretty good number when you consider the games in front of it. Barring some fantastic game (Dawn of the Ronin, Clone of Duty, and Axiom Verge have a chance, IF they still see release on XBLIG), I don’t see my Top 5 changing AT ALL. Top 10 is a little more open, but not by much. Survivalist is fun, but I think the challenge of it (for me) put it a little further down the list. Still a landmark XBLIG, though, that could absolutely be an XBLA game, like you said. The 360 has been great, so let’s hope that indies on Xbox One (and the PS4, WiiU, etc.) set the bar even higher.

I too stumbled upon indie games but mostly because I’m a cheap ass and I could get my need for a new gaming fix for a buck. Hey Tim did you notice the post on here are now appearing on the right for recent comments? And I know that this whole indie games on the 360 is winding down but what do you think about having your readers put together a completely different leaderboard where lets say we can vote for the way we would put our leaderboard together using only the entry’s that you have posted on here already and then adding up all our votes to see where things end up. Like a second leaderboard of your readers. I bet that would be a pain to do but was just thinking like they do for the sports teams. You have your so called experts (that would be you) rating who they think are the best teams then they calculate where they fall for how everyone else feels. Anything, just a thought.

Yeah, turns out the option to show comments on pages and / or media was turned off, even though it used to be on. They add and take away things on individual WordPress themes, so maybe that throws a switch on some options without me knowing until much later. All good now. 😉

I like the idea of a ‘Readers’ Leaderboard’, though that’d be a tough one to implement here with the current layout. If I switched to an all-text leaderboard and tossed the images, that’d make it a lot easier to swap positions for my list AND set up a leaderboard based on your guys’ votes. Then again, like you said, things are winding down with XBLIG somewhat. It’s food for thought, though.

I’m writing here to put a fire on your to update your leaderboard as you had stated previously there are some additions that you need to make. I would also like to encourage you to move Grid Space Shooter up the list some as I think you are not giving it the love it deserves.

Yes sir, but put that fire out! It’s too dangerous. I’ll get the games added later tonight, but unfortunately, all the other games (including Grid Space Shooter) that come after them will move down the list one place… No way am I going to reformat / re-upload all the pictures again. Really hate how this article format has sabotaged my leaderboard. I’ve definitely learned my lesson. 😦

EDIT: Done and Done. Survivalist is at #10, while Shipwreck debuts at #13.

I haven’t visited this in some time now. Heck I see the last we spoke on here was almost a year ago. I see you have added some new additions. Maybe, if you are not already doing it and I just missed it, you ought to put something in your reviews about how it made your leaderboard with a link here when a new game makes it. Just a thought.

Oh and did you ever give Bloody Checkers a go and if so did you enjoy it as much as me?

I started off doing that, then went back and erased the links. What I have done in its place is add ‘Leaderboard Game’ to the tags on the review, but that’s probably not as helpful. Not to mention, how many people really check the tags on the ends of posts? With having ‘Leaderboard’ in the main column up top, I’m thinking most people navigate to it that way. There’s days where there’s lots of hits on this page, and clicks going outbound via the marketplace links, so it seems to be working for the most part.

I did. I bought and played a little bit of Bloody Checkers when I was reviewing Blood & Bacon, but didn’t get too far. Excellent design and style to it, though. Easy to see why it’s a beloved XBLIG title. Curious to see what he’s cooking up for his next game.

And maaaan, I still need to add Shipwreck and Survivalist on here, too. 😦

Ah, excellent! Thank you for finding a video of some of the games. I had the link / list of games, but not video to go along with the announcement. Very cool stuff on the way, nice to see Indies reporting a good experience with the program. They’ve still got some ground to make up with Sony, but they seem to be headed in the right direction now.

EDIT: Just noticed that these comments don’t show up in the ‘recent comments’ bar to the right. Another glitch in the Matrix, it seems. 😦

Yeah, CastleStorm is everywhere, the same with Guacamelee. Contrast was alright on PS4, haven’t finished it yet. On that list, probably most looking forward to Hyper Light Drifter (also coming to PS4 & Vita), but It Draws a Red Box and FRU sound pretty unique. Integrating Indies into the same fold as retail and arcade is a positive first step.

Pinball Arcade by Farsight Studios was another one that I’ve seen everywhere. I’m actually upset they stop supporting the 360 version of their game and left me with only 10 tables (I was planning on buying every single one they offered and they have recreated over 45 tables total for other devices). They completely abandoned it where you can’t even buy it anymore. Of course MS does a good job of if you already purchased it you can always download it but still.

Can’t believe I may be tempted/forced into buying a One due to the indie games. Good thing for me it is a tax write off. I bet you can as well. Games and game machines and office space etc. Not sure if what you do is considered a hobby or not but you might want to look into that.

Yeah, you can put Super Time Force on my most-wanted list, too. Lost track of it after the 360 version was delayed, but nice to see it’s still around and kicking. May put together a preview article for it over on the secondary site, just to get more posts going. Coming from the same Dev, I’m actually very interested in Below. No idea what it actually is yet, but it’s got a cool look / design to it.

First time hearing about Spectra, but always nice to see music used in games in ways other than the soundtrack. Sort of related, as Harmonix (Rock Band guys) are doing a music-based FPS. That could be an interesting setup.

I’m with you on buying the One now. I know I just literally said I’d wait, but some of these games seem to be coming soon, which may force my hand. Love AAA games for what they have and do, but Indies just have a more interesting hook for me right now. Not to mention, they delayed Titanfall on the 360… again. Not too sure about that version anymore. Too many delays, and no real info / screens / videos of the 360 version, at least that I know of. Kind of a ‘where there’s smoke, there’s fire’ scenario shaping up.

Believe it or not, I’m actually pretty much in agreement with you on Murder Miners and ALW2, especially since MM continues to churn out new updates and such, though my memories are just a little bit more positive with ALW2. Fun beats content, in my book. MM should be bumped up a few places though, you’re absolutely right. I actually dread updating the leaderboard, as its a pain to swap positions within this article. The photos, too, reset to a smaller size unless I cut them out and reintroduce them. I figured I’d wait for a few more games to make the list, then go through and reevaluate each position. There’s definitely a few that have moved up / down.

Lot of good games in your list, and some -would- be on this leaderboard, had I played them. Bloody Checkers, Breath of Death VII, and Cthulhu, I never played. They’d probably be locks for the board. Cursed Loot would be a good addition. Apple Jack 2 I liked, though I never completed it. Too many games, not enough time. 🙂

I smell a cheat! Well since it belongs to you I guess you can make the rules and by those standards cheat is not the right word.

OK so I’ll put it this way. Tim, you did a wonderful job of making your top 30 Leaderboard actually consist of 31 games by including a “Tie”. So do sequels actually need to earn their own respect? In some cases yes in others no, and I do like how you posted 25 (Tie). DLC Quest / DLC Quest 2

It’s not the standard, though. DLC Quest and ‘Freemium’ are two games on XBLIG, but one complete product on PC / Steam, so I figured I’d abide by that rule for ranking it. Also, they’re essentially the same game. Different jokes, same concept. Love them both for what they do, but I consider them one product. Other games / sequels won’t be judged the same for this board, unless they too are more ‘add-on’ than whole new game.

Then again, -my- house. I can have a Top 37 with multiple ‘ties’ if I want…. :p

I think from this point on, I’ll have to shake up the placement and add another five games once I stumble onto new favorites. Whatever happens with Xbox Indie Games, I know there’s still quite a few good games on the horizon.

Thanks, Dan. I’m looking to drop the Fringe setting and just expand it to a Top 25 eventually, then 50, if it calls for it, using the same format, with an introductory paragraph. I like the idea of making it more competitive. Lots of good-looking games coming, too, so it shouldn’t be hard to find contenders.

I sincerely hope I’ll be able to add ‘Astralis’ to the leaderboard someday. 🙂

First, Tim, congratulations on the new site. I like the clean look and refined purpose. Here’s looking forward to the kind of quality output you brought to Gear-Fish. Also, thanks for listing Pendulous on the fringe of your leaderboard. I’m glad that we could produce the kind of game that XBLIG devotees can enjoy.

Alright, I’m off to try out radiantgames Inferno. Always love a twin-stick shooter and didn’t know about this one, but f you recommend it, it’s worth checking out. Take care!

Thanks, Matt, for the especially kind words about the site (thank you!) and for checking things out. And absolutely no problem adding Pendulous to the short list of recommended games. Really liked it, and I’m looking forward to when the new levels come out. Also, congrats on getting featured for Windows Phone! Probably doing a lot better on there than XBLIG, but I’m happy to do my part in getting others to notice it.

And you’ll enjoy Inferno. I missed out on it myself at first, but it’s definitely one of the best twin-stickers on XBLIG, and that’s saying a lot considering the sheer number of them. It’s also just as perfect (and a little sharper) on iOS.